In The Hatch
by Lizzie xo
Summary: AU kind of. It's set back in season 1. Claire has just returned back to camp after being kidnapped by Ethan, and has no memory of the past two weeks of her life. The hatch hasn't been discovered by anyone yet, until somebody does...
1. Chapter 1

Claire rubbed her bump of a stomach. That was the one thing she _did_ remember, that she was pregnant. The trees towered over her as she shuffled about on the rock she was sitting on, trying to get comfortable. Although it was dark from the trees, it was still hot. Claire was sweating a bit and her hair was still greasy, she refused to get changed or do anything as she couldn't quite take it all in yet. She had survived a plane crash, and been living on an island for two weeks. The last thing she remembered she was happily _on_ that plane. She licked her lips every now and then to soothe them, which made her look as though she was wearing bright red lipstick. They were chapped from the hot weather. She heard footsteps coming towards her, as she turned around to see a young man. He had a big, fake smile on which wasn't comforting at all. He came over to her, a bit too close, and sat down.

"You ok?" Charlie smiled cheerfully. Claire paused for a long moment, until she finally spoke.  
"I take it I know you then?" Her voice was miserable and worn down. She wasn't in the mood for a chat, she just wanted to be alone yet she didn't want to sound rude. She didn't even know the guy.  
"Indeed you do. We were quite good friends actually... still are... maybe...?" Charlie stopped talking incase he went any further with his awkward words. He didn't know what to say to her, she was completely different now. Claire nodded, and smiled politely.  
"Do you mind if... if I just go for a walk, I need to clear my head."  
"Sure, sure fine. Although, I don't mean to scare you but whoever took you are probably still out there. I don't think it's safe to go alone."  
"I'm not alone," Claire rubbed her stomach as she looked down and smiled at it.  
"I've got this little one right here." She looked at Charlie and smiled.  
"Thanks for the chat..." she said as she turned around and began to walk away.

Claire dragged her feet through the leaves as she stumbled along. It's hard carrying a huge weight when you are such a tiny person. She was so worn out from everything. It was like she had changed from this bubbly, sweet bundle of happiness, to this tired, worn out, confused wreck. She kept on walking, her mind working so hard to remember _something_ of her past two weeks... nothing. Her foot suddenly hit something hard.  
"Ouch!" She screwed up her face as she bent down to rub her foot, which was a bit of an effort. She looked around to see what she had hit, then she saw something shiny peeking through a gap in the leaves. She brushed the leaves away to reveal a square shaped piece of metal. She attempted to pick it up just to realise it was stuck to the ground. She continued to push away the leaves and dirt, revealing more and more of this mysterious thing. She kept going until eventually she had got to the end. It was a huge, round metal block, with a square in the middle looking down at something.

Claire sat there, knees dug into the ground, hair pushed back off her face and fingernails brown with dirt. She looked around, just to check that she was alone. Had she just discovered this? Does everyone know about this already? Why did she have to discover it? The one person who has no idea what's going on on this island. She still couldn't completely trust these people, for all she knew she could on some gameshow and these were the sick people that set her up. She had never felt more alone, therefore she had to deal with this on her own. She shuffled towards it on her knees, whilst holding her hands up not knowing where to start. She bent down to the middle bit as she looked through it and cupped her eyes with her hands. All she could see was black, never ending black. She sat up quickly and bit her lip, as her eyebrows went down in a confused expression. She knocked on it a few times, but that didn't seem to help. In the end she gave in and started banging on it, pressing her ear up against it every now and again. Claire sat up feeling quite frustrated right now. She leant back on her heals and frowned, whilst rubbing her belly softly. She had to go back to the camp now and face the crowd of strange people. Jack was the obvious leader to her, so if she was going to tell anyone about this she would tell him.

Suddenly a light appeared. It was coming from the middle of the hatch and it made a long ray of light above. Was there someone down there?


	2. Chapter 2

Claire's heart skipped a beat as her eyes were two huge golf balls, they were wide with amazement. She leant in forward carefully to have a look down at the light, but it was too bright for her. She backed away as she squinted her eyes. The light suddenly switched off. Claire jerked quickly, as she sat up ans sighed.  
"Aw no!" She cried to herself. She realised that people would probably start worrying about her now, so she decided she needed to head back. Claire brushed all the leaves and dirt she had removed, back over the top of this thing so it could remain undiscovered by anyone else. She made sure the leaves were in a certain way so that she could find it again. She slowly pushed herself up, holding onto her unsteady back whilst doing so. She would come back later, she thought to herself.

Footsteps were approaching towards her, she could hear the quick rustle of leaves, and a panting breath. She panicked inside. Could her "kidnapper" be coming back for her? For all she knew this kidnapper may not even exist. She had no reason to be worried, she thought to herself. She saw a man appear from the trees, it was the one that told her about what had happened, it was Jack.  
"Claire what are you doing out here, you shouldn't be out here alone!" He said the words calmly, but they still had an impact on her.  
"Ah... yeah sorry, I just needed some time alone you know?" She began to walk towards him, but checked back at the thing to make sure it was covered properly. Jack put his hand on Claire's shoulder comfortingly as they smiled at eachother. They began to walk on when Claire stopped.  
"Wait... did that guy tell you I was out here, you know... the one with a british accent and big ears... the one that's _supposed_ to be my friend?" Claire hoped it wasn't. They carried on walking as Jack explained.  
"You mean Charlie? Claire he was worried about you. You guys were pritty close you know."  
"I can't believe him, if he was so worried why didn't he make more of an effort to stop me from going instead of calling for help. What a coward!" Claire stopped herself, she was being really harsh on someone who was only trying to help. She smiled innocently.  
"Sorry... it's just, all I can remember is being on a plane. It's a crazy way to feel Jack. And when you've got people who know you, but you don't have the slighest idea about them..." She looked at Jack.  
"...it's just strange, you know?" Jack smiled at her.  
"I know, but it's just something you gotta get used to, which you _will_ by the way." Claire smiled back at Jack.

Claire returned back to the caves with Jack, and he left to do her thing. She decided she needed a change of clothes, and a wash, where was she going to start?

Kate quickly grabbed her towel, to cover up herself. She had just been for a wash in the sea, but she didn't like the idea of people watching her, especially if they were getting something out of it. She wrapped it round her perfectly toned body and began to walk towards the bushes, where she'd left her clothes. She was stopped by Claire, who was holding a pile of clean clothes and a towel.  
"Hey. I need a wash, as you can probably tell..." They smiled at eachother.  
"...so do you have anything that I could use? Shampoo, soap maybe?" Kate let out a little laugh.  
"I'm sorry but erm, we have to go natural here at this island. The best we can do is bath in the water and hope that it works. There's a waterfall which might be cleaner, if you're interested?" Claire liked this idea, it was better than washing in the sea which was full of salt and god knows what else.  
"Yeah, please... if you don't mind?"  
"Sure, I'll take you there come with me."

Claire followed Kate to the waterfall. When they got there it looked so beautiful. It was so fresh and soothing, with clean water running down from the rocks and crashing into a pool of luxury. Claire looked up with amazement, as she was hypnotized by the falling water.  
"So I'll leave you to it then? I'm Kate by the way." Claire looked at Kate.  
"Yeah, thanks Kate." She smiled and looked away. Then she had an idea. She could use this time to have a quick wash, then go back to the metal thing she had discovered.  
"Hey Kate! Don't get worried if I'm ages, I usually take a long time having a wash, and I could do with a bit of relaxation on my own."  
"Ok. Just make sure you're not too long, 'cause otherwise someone named Charlie is gonna get worried." They both laughed.  
"Oh one more thing, you don't wanna swim down too deep, 'cause it gets a bit ugly down there." Kate smiled and left Claire alone.

Claire stripped down to just her underwear, and decided she would run into the water and drop. It felt so good against her chapped skin, as it splashed against her face and washed away her bad experience. She held her nose, and ducked her head under. She then let go of her nose and swam underwater. It felt so nice to be free from everyone guarding her, and just being in another world, away from all the troubles. She kept on swimming under, until she flapped her feet and pushed herself to the surface. She breathed out with relief. It felt so nice, but she knew she couldn't waste too much time, as she had to get back to the metal thing. She quickly swam back out and dried herself with a towel. She then put some new underwear on, and some new clothes. Very fresh. She scraped her hair back and tied it into a high ponytail, then went off into the jungle.

She walked towards the beach, because she knew the thing wasn't too far from there. This thing seemed like a hatch to her, a door to somewhere or someone. Eventually she recognized those same leaves, and she got down on her knees and started moving them. There it was, it was the hatch right where she'd left it. She smiled to herself.  
"Claire." Claire froze, someone just said her name. She turned around slowly to see a man she did not recognize. He was quite short, but he looked very strong with huge muscles. His face had a few scratches, and his hair was fairly short. He scared her. She stood up slowly, eyes wide, watching him.  
"Claire don't you remember me? It's Ethan." He started to walk towards her.  
"Who the hell _are_ you? I've never seen you before get away from me!" She started to back away, until he grabbed her! She tried to pull away as she yelled and screamed, but it was no use, he was too strong for her. He began to drag her away until he let go. She turned around to realise someone had pulled him off and got him on the floor. He punched Ethan a few times, then held him on the floor.  
"You stay the hell away from her ok! Can't you hear her she wants you away!" He was yelling at the top of his voice. Ethan nodded obidiently, as the man eventually let him go. Ethan ran off into the jungle.

Claire was confused, she'd never seen this guy either. He was quite tall, nice tan, very strong looking with longish wavy hair. He also had a scottish accent. Claire decided to speak to her rescuer.  
"Thanks... who _are_ you?" There was a long pause.  
"Who are you more like?"  
"I'm a survivor of flight 815, well apparently I am. Are you part of the rescue party?" Claire was hopeful.  
"Wait... your plane crashed on this island?"   
"Yeah there's a load of us. Where are you from?" The man laughed, Claire couldn't tell whether he was happy or not.  
"I'm from down there sister!" He stamped on the hatch.  
"I've been living in that bloody hatch for 3 years! Just me, on my own." Claire didn't quite no what to say. She thought she'd start with the obvious.  
"Oh. So... what's your name?" He smiled, he seemed so happy.  
"Desmond... it's Desmond!" He was acting quite strangly, as if he'd just won something, in a way he had, he'd just won something he'd been longing for for three years - company. Claire decided she'd smile too.  
"Well I'm Claire!" She went to shake his hand, but he grabbed her and started hugging her. He lifted her off her feet, he was so happy.


	3. Chapter 3

"So... tell me about yourself," Claire tried to make conversation, as Desmond handed her a coffee on the table in the hatch. She tried not to look at or smell the coffee without being rude, but she just couldn't do it.  
"Sorry, usually I would but, the one thing I've turned against whilst being pregnant if coffee, makes me wanna puke."  
"You don't need to make up excuses sister, just tell me straight you don't want the coffee." She caught his eye, then let out a little laugh. He joined in.  
"I don't suppose you have any... peanut butter?" She laughed nervously, as if her question was so ridiculous. Desmond didn't quite catch that, taking her seriously.  
"Should do, just a minute..." He walked off towards a cupboard, yet once the door was flung open looked more like a room. Claire could not believe this, even though it only felt like a few days ago that she'd last tasted it, it still felt like forever, which technically it was.

Claire's eyes wondered around this mysterious place, it was like a house – underground, that no else knew about. A secret house.  
"There we go, fresh from..." Desmond squinted his eyes, reading the label on the jar. He'd never taken the time to read it before; he just grabbed and ate, thoughtlessly.  
"...Dharma." Desmond looked at Claire, making a strange face. Then he smiled. He had such a comforting smile, yet exciting at the same time. He handed her the jar, as she delicately took it out of his masculine hands. It was like she was handling her newborn baby, with so much care and consideration. She slowly twisted the lid, until it came off and let out and scent of heaven. She bent down and sniffed it, that smell was so familiar, she couldn't wait any longer. This amazed Desmond, he had never seen someone so desperate. He smiled as he watched her, he hadn't made someone feel happy for so long, even before the island. She slowly dipped her finger in, and scooped some out, smearing on her tongue and sucking her finger. It melted in her mouth, as she gasped in a moment of pleasure. It tasted so good.

"Looks like you needed that," Desmond chuckled. Claire was so lost in that moment that she couldn't hear anything else.  
"You with me sister," Claire looked up, finger in her mouth, eyebrows raised. She then took her finger out of her mouth and giggled.  
"Sorry, it's just been so long. So yeah, tell me about you." Claire carried on dipping her finger in the jar, again and again.  
"Why don't you just finish that, it's practically yours now," he said jokingly, as she had been putting her finger in and out. She didn't quite get that joke, so she smiled appreciatively, as if he'd really meant it.  
"I was in a boat contest, and I ended up here. I met a guy who lived down here, on his own, and he... he died." He paused as Claire watched sympathetically.  
"So I've been on my own, for 3 three bloody years!" Desmond looked away; his eyes began to water whilst he scrunched his face up in an angry expression. Claire didn't feel threatened by this, she felt for him - he was a lonely man who needed someone there. She walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder, rubbing it.  
"You're not alone anymore," Her voice was so soft and angelic; it gave Desmond this warm sensation inside. He let it all out, like he done many times before, but this time he had someone to care for him... comfort him.

After a long few minutes, he sniffed up his tears and stood up bravely.  
"So what about you? What's your story?" She looked up at, towerring over her, then went to sit down.  
"I was with this guy... Thomas. I slept with him, got pregnant and then he told me how 'we could do this' and we decided to have the baby together." Desmond was acting as though he was happy for her, going along with her story.  
"Of course a month before the baby's due he turns up now saying that 'he can't do this anymore'. Well you know what Thomas, try carrying this baby! I can't just give up when I can't handle it!" Claire was slowly breaking into tears, as she brushed her hair off her face. She sniffed up and wiped her eyes.  
"So yeah... I go and see this psychic and he tells me that there's a family who wants to _adopt_ my baby in L.A and so I get on the plane and here I am." She smiled at him unenthusiastically. The two of them had been lonely, but had found one another. Maybe they were supposed to? Maybe fait had brought them together? Afterall Claire did believe in fait.  
"Oh and did I tell you that apprently I've been on this island for two weeks, even though I don't remember _any_ of it, and the guy who was attacking me out there I'm assuming is the one who'd kidnapped me." Her face was screwed up now, as her voice got shakier by the second.  
"...and I can't even remember any of it!" She was completely breaking down now, the tears came flooding out like the waterfall she'd been in and her eyes were the rocks, trying to stop them. Desmond rushed over and grabbed her, pulling her small delicate body close to his. She felt so warm in his arms, with his body touching her, and his hands stroking her hair. Like him, she let it all out, she'd been wanting to do so ever since she got back, but didn't feel comfortable enough to do so. Unlike here, she felt comfortable and secure here, and not totally lost. They both had the same knowledge, and only the two of them knew about this place; it was like their _own_ secret house.

Claire felt her body being release, as he let go and began to speak again.  
"I suppose you better introduce me to your friends then." Claire rolled her eyes and looked away, she'd hoped this wouldn't happen. She just wanted him to be hers, that only _she_ knew about. Everything was crazy back at camp and she still couldn't trust these people, she needed someone like Desmond; someone fresh.  
"Do we have to? Can't we give it a while." Desmond was confused, he'd just told her that he'd been alone for so long so he thought she might understand.  
"Why? I need to _see_ people Claire!" His tone had now gone up, which frightened Claire a little.  
"I know, I know. I'm just not quite right with these people yet. Will you give me some time to adjust with them, _then_ I can introduce you. I don't even trust them."  
"Claire you don't own me you know. I think I have the right to decide when I want to visit these people."  
"Please Desmond, just give it some time. I'll come and visit you... I just want to keep you seperate from them. They... they scare me ok?" Her voice was soft, and began shaking again. He felt his heart aching, he felt for this girl. Although she was being unreasonable, he tried to see it from her perspective, afterall she had saved him; saved him from lonliness.  
"Fine... I'll give it some time," Claire sighed with relief, as her broken frown turned into an angelic smile.   
"As long as you promise to visit me." He winked at her, then gave her a huge smile. She couldn't resist that smile; wide mouthed, sparkling teeth - it lit up his whole face.

"I should get back anyway, I was only supposed to be having a wash. They're gonna wonder where I am. Hey... will you save this?" She gently placed her hand on the lid on the peanut butter jar, tracing her finger around it. Her crystal blue eyes twinkled and caught Desmond off guard, giving in.  
"Aye. Leave it there it's not like anyone else is gonna eat it." Claire bit her tongue and giggled like a child who had just got there own way. He adored every moment of her presence. Just having someone else around was good enough, but _her_ - she was something special. She began to walk towards the door they had entered in, as she turned around and caught his eye.  
"I'll knock next time," she joked, smiling flirtatiously. He laughed silently and bent his head down. She bit her lip and smiled to herself, walking on.


	4. Chapter 4

The hot burn shocked her face, as she emerged from the bushes. Claire had just returned to the beach into the burning sun, feeling fresh and satisfied. She loved that she was the only one who knew about Desmond, and that she had to keep it a secret from everyone else. She began strolling along the beach, to see a familiar face close to the sea, with what looked like food laid out.  
"Claire, over here!" Charlie waved his hands in the air enthusiastically, with a huge grin on his face. Claire really didn't want to face this right now. She felt bad, the guy only wanted to help her, but she just wasn't warming to him. He was far too pushy, and made her feel uncomfortable. She rolled her eyes and put on a fake smile as she walked over to him.  
"Hey, what's all this then?"  
"Oh well, I felt bad. Jack said you were mad at me." Claire felt guilty, and paused for a moment.  
"I'm not mad at you, Charlie." They shared a moment, and smiled at eachother.  
"So I err… I made you a picnic!" Charlie put that huge grin on again. This time it didn't make her feel so uncomfortable, but made her realise that he cared about her. Maybe she could give him a chance; after all, what did she have to lose? She smiled sympathetically.  
"That's sweet. Where did you get the food from?"  
"Oh you know, random peoples luggage, fruit trees. Took me a while but I managed."  
"Wow, you did all that for me?"  
"Yeah... you deserve it." The way Charlie looked at her said something, that he had strong feelings for her. Stronger feelings than she had for him. She didn't want to feel this way, as if she had to force her feelings and pretend that she felt the same way, because she just _didn't_.

The two of them had their picnic, as Charlie told Claire about himself and filled her in on what had happened in the last two weeks. Of course, not mentioning that he was a drug addict. Once Claire had arrived back to her tent area, she plonked herself down feeling slightly happier. Charlie could be her friend - he seemed to care enough. Her feet dug into the sand as she carefully lay down on her back. The stars were bundles of light dotted around the sky, bringing her hope. This reminded her of Desmond, and how he probably hadn't seen the stars for 3 years. She began to wonder about him, all the questions she could of asked, but didn't. She wanted to see him _now_, just give to give him some company. All her thoughts involved him, she just couldn't stop thinking about him, until eventually she drifted off to sleep.

Claire opened her eyes to a grey sky, with the potential of raining. She loved the rain; it was so fresh and pure. Of course she wouldn't be spending long in it, as she had to see Desmond. She saw a small bag in her tent full of clothes and decided to empty it, pouring the stuff everywhere carelessly. She pushed herself up slowly, supporting her back as she did so and she cried in pain under her breath. It was so hard being pregnant. Her task was to get to the hatch without anyone seeing her - she _had_ to see him.

After creeping across the beach and running through the jungle, picking up a few pieces of fruit and putting them in her bag for a surprise for Desmond on the way, she eventually saw the entrance to the hatch. The door. She carefully approached it, until her body was flung forward and she landed flat on her front.   
"OW!" She yelled. She'd tripped over a twig. She lifted herself up, again supporting her back, and knocked on the door nervously. Her hair was a bit messed up from the trip; so she brushed it back carefully from her face. The door slowly opened, to reveal a man in a robe with sleepy eyes who was yawning.  
"Hey!" Claire smiled, and gave an awkward wave.  
"You came back, so soon..." Desmond pretended to sound pleased, as he had just been woken up. He walked into the hatch indicating for Claire to follow so she did. He walked into the kitchen and sat down. Claire's eyes wandered around the room, not knowing what to do or say. It was kind of exciting for her.  
"Sorry... sit down. I'm just not a morning person." He rubbed his eyes.  
"Oh no don't apologize, when I'm excited about something I..." Claire stopped herself, realising watch she'd said.  
"...not that I was excited or anything." She was so embarrassed. Desmond chuckled, he didn't mind at all; he thought it was quite cute. This reassured Claire, and she joined in with the laughter.

There was an obvious attraction between the two of them; they had so much in common. The two of them chatted about their lives but not once did Claire mention Charlie; she wanted to keep them separate.  
"Oh I should head off. I've been here a while they'll wonder where I am." She hated that she had to leave; she'd much prefer to be with him than anyone on the island. Her bag lay on the floor, overflowing with fruit. She went to pick it up.  
"I err... I forgot to give you this." She giggled embarrassedly, handing him the bag of fruit. He looked in the bag and then smiled at her, she was so sweet and innocent. He stared at her, as she smiled nervously, he couldn't resist. He put his hand under her chin gently, and pulled it towards him as their lips touched. It was only a soft kiss, but it felt so good. Claire giggled again, and then smiled. It was such a pure smile.  
"I'll come back." She smiled, and left the hatch again.


End file.
